Tip cleaner holder



June 271,4 1949. 'H. D. MAITLEN 2,473,758

TIP CLEANER HOLDER Filed oct. 4, 194e HARRY D. Mn/TLE/v BY H15 ATTORNEYS.

HfRR/s,l MECH, FOSTER HnRR/.s

Patented June 2l, 1949 UNITED PATENT CE n2,473,758 iP CLEANER HOLDER HarryD. Maitlen, Long Beach, Calif., assigner to Maitlen"& Benson,4 Inc., Long Beach, Calif a corporation f California Application october 4, 1948-, serial No. 'sassi V 7 Claims. 1

My invention relates generally to tool holders and particularly to- 'a holder device for supporting a plurality of attenuate tools 'or implements, such. as cleaner rods,- for cleaning the orifices of welding tor'oh tips and other burn-ers.

Cleaning rods arev employed quite extensively for cleaning the oricos or iets of acetylene burning and welding tips, or other jets which our-n gas or oil, such a cleaner rod beingl disclosed in my Patent No. 2,429,581, granted October 21, 1947, and entitled Cleaning rod for Welding torches. During the operation of acetylene torches and other burners, the openings or -jets in their tips are often yclosed by carbon deposits, dust and -rust and cleaner rods of the type referred to above are inserted and Aslid back and forth thereinto rem-ove such deposits so as to maintain `tree, -low -`orl the gas through the tip and thus prevent flutter of the darne cone. Since the Lorifices of torch tips vary in diameter, it is the practice to employ cleaner rods of different diameters, a. complete set of the rods including approximately kaA dozen sizes. As shown in my patent` referred to above, the cleaner rods have attenuate stems whichY are provided with a plurality of annular ridges" adapted. to engage and slide along the walls of the tip orifices to perform, in effect, a scrubbing -action tending to dislodge, and remove foreign matter without diss torti-ng or otherwise injuring the tips. Each tip cleaner of the set is -formed with a loop atene end so that all the cleaner rod-sV can be held on a wire, key ring or other support; The cleaner rods,y particularly those of the small sizes, are quite delicate and. fragile so that they are easily bent or otherwisedamaged when exposed on a wire or key ring. Moreover, the diiercnt cleaner rods vary only slightly inl diameter and for this reason a cleaner rod ofuappropriate size is not readily segregated from the others of the set.

It is an. object of my invention to provide a, holder device which is: adapted to support a series or set of tipcleanerrods in prearranged order so that a cleaner rodv of any desired size canv be readily selectedA from the group, the set o: rods being so mounted` that a Worn. rod can be readily removed and. replacedA by a new rod.

Another objectis 120- -l-'J ,1`0vide a holder device whichv comprises a boXl-ike receptacle in which the tip cleaner rods are pivotally supported so that they are fully protected against dar-nage andv capableor beingl .pivo'tedvv to an extended or operative positiony wherein their -ridged stems project from an. endhof the receptacle. Bythis construction, the receptacle servesas a handle 2 which may be grasped in the hand of the 'op-V erator to facilitate sliding the cleaner rod through the jet o'f the holding ti'p. It is 'a rel-ated object to provide a -hold'rwh'ch has 'a 'coi/er or lid pivoted 'to an end of the receptacle and adapted to be pivoted to an open position to permit extension of the tip cleaners and to a closed position to enclose the Acleaner rods 'in the receptacleor to retain a rod in extended or operative position; A further related object is to provide dete'nt means for releasably' retaining the cover in closed position.

Another object of the invention isl to provide, in a holder 'of the type indicated, a novel and ingenious means for pivotally y'supporting they cleaner rods within the i-eci-t-ptacle,v this means comprising, in general; a support spindle-extend: ing transversely between the side walls of the receptacle and cnwhichv the loops of the cleaner rods are disposed; Another object in this respect is to provides, support spindle which comprisesa pair of relatively telescopio tubular elements, the outer -iianged ends of which receive projections or pintles directed inwardly from the side walls o f the receptacle,- spr-ing means within the spindle tending toI cause elongation of thespindle so as to maintain the spindl-ein place in the receptacles Stop means are also provided for limiting the elongation of the spindle, said means being releasable to permit separation of the spindle elements for the pur pose of placing the cleaner rods o n the spindle and this is another object ot the invention.

A still further object is to provide a holder dev-ice which is extremely simple -in construction and one whichlends itself to economical mass production methods of manufacture- Furth-er objects will be apparent from the following specification and the drawing, which is intended for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

Fig, 1 is a perspective view of the holder device, showing the parts thereof inclosedrelationship;

Fig. 2 is a, perspective view show-ing the holder opened;

Fig- 3A is an enlarged,- long-itudinal section-al view of 'the' device;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig.- 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line' 55 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawinjgjr in detail, the holder device includes a box-llico rece-ptaciev lll which has a bottom Wall- H, opstanding side walls |12,-A

and curved end walls I3 and I4, the upper edges of which terminate below the upper edges of the side walls I2. The receptacle I is preferably stamped from light weight sheet metal and adjacent the end I3, the metal of the side walls I2 is indented to provide circular indentations or detent recesses I6 and inwardly directed lugs or pintles I1. At their other end, the side walls I2 carry pivot pins or rivets I8 for pvotally mounting a cover member or lid 20 The cover member 2i] is of inverted channel shape, being provided with a top wall 2| and depending side anges 22 which have apertures for receiving the pivot pins I8, the side flanges being located outside the side walls I2 of the receptacle. At the end opposite the pivot end of the cover member 20, the top wall 2I is extended downwardly in a curved portion 22'. Also at this end, the side flanges are indented to provide inwardly directed detent projections 23 which are adapted to snap into the detent recesses, I6 of the receptacle IB to releasably retain the two parts in the closed relationship shown in Figs. 1 and 3. When the holder device is thus closed, an opening 24 is provided between the parts at the end remote from the pivot end of the device.

To open the holder device, the cover member 20 is merely7 pried upwardly to disengage the detent means I6, 23 after which the cover member is pivoted upwardly to the position illustrated in Fig. 2, at which time the curved end 25 of the top wall 2| strikes an edge 26 of the side walls I2 to limit pivotal movement in this direction (Fig. 3). To facilitate prying the cover member upwardly, the lower edges of the side flanges 22 are cut away as shown at 21 so that the operators thumb and forefinger can readily engage the lower portion of the cover member.

The holder device is particularly adapted for holding a series or set of tip cleaner rods 30 which may be of the type disclosed in my patent already referred to. Each cleaner rod 30 comprises a stem portion 3| which is preferably formed with a ridged area 32 and also has a loop 33 at one end. The cleaner rods 3'1.) are held in the holder device by means of a Support spindle 35 which includes a rst tube 36 and a second, smaller tube 31 telescopically mounted therein. The larger tube 36 has an annular flange 38 at its outer end and adjacent its inner end the metal is indented (Figs. 4 and 5) to provide inwardly directed projections or stop lugs 40. Adjacent its flanged end, the tube 36 is provided with inwardly extending ears 4I. The smaller tube 31 is also provided with an annular flange 43 at its outer end, the inner end, that is, the end disposed within the tube 36, being formed with a peripheral bead 44. Disposed within the tube 36 is a coil spring 45 which has one end engaging the inner end of the tube 31 and its other end resting against the ears 4I. The spring 45 functions to normally project the tube 31 outwardly, such movement being limited by the engagement of the bead 44 against the stop lugs 4B. However, the tubes 36 and 31 can be separated in an axial direction by pulling them apart, the tube 36 yielding to allow the bead 44 to slide past the stop lugs 40.

When the tubes 36 and 31 are separated in the manner explained above, a series or set of the cleaner rods 30 is placed on the tube 36 by sliding their loops 33 thereon. By arranging the cleaner rods 30 in the order of their progressively increasing sizes, a rod of the desired size can thereafter be readily located and this selection may be further aided by listing the sizes or numbers of the rods on a surface of the holder device. After the several cleaner rods 30 have been placed on the tube 36, the inner end of the tube 31 is forced into the tube 36 to compress the spring 45, the bead 44 snapping into place inwardly of the stop lugs 40. The two tubes 36 and 31 are thus releasably retained in connected relationship and relative sliding movement therebetween is possible. The assembly, including the spindle 35 and the cleaner rods 30, is next installed in the receptacle I6 by contracting the spindle to a length which allows it to be slid into place between the side walls I2 of the receptacle. By forcing the spindle 35 downwardly into the receptacle I0, the ends of the spindle eventually align with the lugs I1 which then enter the ends of the spindle to retain the latter in place. The device is then ready for use.

When the cleaner rods 30 are not in use, they are disposed within the holder device as shown in Fig. 2, that is, with their stems 3| located entirely within the receptacle I and resting upon the bottom wall II thereof. When the cover member 26 is pivoted to the closed position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the cleaner rods 30 are concealed and thus fully protected against damage. As the cover member 23 is swung to closed position, its detent projections 23 snap into the detent recesses I6 of the receptacle Ii) so that the parts of the holder device are releasably retained in closed relationship.

When it is desired to utilize a cleaner rod 30 for the purpose of cleaning the orice of a welding tip or other burner, the cover member 23 is pried upwardly to release the detents 23, I6 and to cause the cover member to assume the position indicated by the broken lines on Fig. 3. The appropriate cleaner rod 38 is then pivoted on the spindle 35 to the operative position shown at the left in Fig. 3, that is, with its stem portion 3I projecting from the left-hand end of the device. The cover member 20 is then returned to closed position and the stem portion of the cleaner rod projects outwardly through the aperture 24 existing between the top and bottom walls of the respective cover member 20 and the receptacle Ill. To apply the cleaner rod 3U to use, the holder device is held in the hand of the operator and thus serves as a handle which greatly facilitates inserting and sliding the cleaner rod back and forth in the orifice of the burner tip. Upon completion of a tip cleaning operation, the holder device is again opened and the active cleaner rod 3D is pivoted on the spindle 35 to inoperative position within the receptacle I0 as shown in Fig. 2, after which the cover member 20 is pivoted to the closed position illustrated in Fig. 1 to conceal and protect the rod.

When it is desired to replace worn cleaner rods 30 with new ones, the spindle 35 is pried upwardly out of the receptacle, the spring 45 yielding to permit release of the detent lugs I1 from the ends of the tubes 36 and 31. By forcibly separating the tubes 36 and 31, it is possible to remove the cleaner rods 30 from the spindle and to substitute new rods for those which have become worn. The spindle, together with the new cleaner rods, is then reassembled in the holder device in the manner previously explained.

It will be observed from the foregoing that the present invention provides a simple, yet highly practical holder device for holding attenuate objects such as cleaner rods used for cleaning the orices of welding tips and other burners. The cleaner rods are wholly enclosed within the holder device and thus fully protected against damage. By the present construction any of the cleaner rods can be readily pivoted from a concealed inoperative position to an exposed operative position and, as a feature of the invention, the holder device serves as a handle by which the cleaner rod can be operated. Moreover, the cleaner rods are positively retained in the holder device to guard against loss thereof and they can be conveniently replaced when they become worn. The holder device is strong and durable and is not easily damaged, even when stored with other articles in a tool box. Furthermore, the parts of the holder device are simple in construction and lend themselves to mass production methods of manufacture so that the device can be made and sold at a very reasonable price.

While I have herein shown and described 4the holder device as embodied in a preferred form of construction, by way of example, it will be apparent that various modications might be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Consequently, I do not wish to be limited in this respect but desire to be afforded the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A holder for attenuate objects having loops at one of their ends, comprising: a box-like receptacle having a bottom wall, side walls, an end wall having an opening, and an open top; an extensible support spindle disposed between said side walls adjacent said end wall, said spindle being adapted to receive the loops of the objects to permit the same to pivot thereon from a retracted position within said receptacle to an extended position wherein their free ends project outwardly through the opening in said end wall, said side walls of said receptacle being provided with indentations in alignment with said spindle; and a cover member pivoted to said receptacle at the other end thereof to adapt said cover member to be opened to permit pivotal movement of the objects and to be closed to retain the objects in their extended and retracted positions, said *cover member being of channel shape and having resilient side flanges adapted to overlie said side walls of said receptacle, said side flanges having detent projections adapted to snap into said indentations when said cover member is pivoted to closed position.

2. A holder as defined in claim 1 in which said support spindle is tubular throughout its length, the ends of the bore of said spindle being adapted to receive inwardly directed projections of said side walls of said receptacle so as to mount said spindle between said side Walls.

3. A holder as defined in claim 1 in which said support spindle comprises a pair of telescoping tubular elements, the outer ends of the axial bores of said elements being adapted to receive inwardly directed projections of said side walls of said receptacle so as to detachably connect said spindle to and within said receptacle.

4. A holder as deiined in claim 1 in which said support spindle comprises a pair of telescopic tubular elements having integral flanges at their outer ends adapted to engage against the inner surfaces of said side walls, said outer ends of the bores of said elements being adapted to receive inwardly directed projections of said side walls so as to detachably connect said spindle to and within said receptacle.

5. A holder as dened in claim 1 in which said support spindle comprises: a pair of telescopic tubular elements having flanges at their outer ends adapted to engage against the inner surfaces of said side walls, the outer ends of the bores of said elements being adapted to receive inwardly directed projections of said side walls so as to detachably connect said spindle to and within said receptacle; and interengaging friction means on said tubular elements for resisting complete separation of the same.

6. A holder as dened in claim 1 in which said support spindle comprises: a. pair of telescopic tubular elements having anges at their outer ends adapted to engage against the inner surfaces of said side walls, said outer ends being adapted to receive said indentations of said side walls so as to detachably connect said spindle to and within said receptacle; friction means on said tubular elements for resisting complete separation of the same; and resilient means for effecting relative sliding movement of said tubular elements to extend the length of said spindle.

7. A holder as defined in claim 1 in which said support spindle comprises: a pair of telescopic tubular elements having flanges at their outer ends adapted to engage against the inner surfaces of said side walls, said outer ends being adapted to receive inwardly directed projections of said side walls so as to detachably connect said spindle to and within said receptacle, one of said tubular elements having inwardly directed ears; a coil spring compressed between said ears and the inner end of the other tubular element and effecting relative axial sliding movement of said elements in opposite directions to elongate said spindle; and interengageable stop means on said elements for resisting separation of said elements, said stop means being disengageable by a pulling force exerted on said elements in opposite directions so as to permit the loops of the attenuate objects to be slid onto one of said elements.

HARRY D. MAITLEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,299,556 Crecelius Apr. 8, 1919 1,494,242 Hill May 13, 1924 1,639,551 Booth Aug. 16, 1927 1,779,621 Moore Oct. 28, 1930 1,951,660 Klaudt Mar. 20, 1934 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,473,758. June 21, 1949.

HARRY D. MAITLEN It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 6, line 28, claim 6, before the Word friction insert 'interengagn and that the said Letters Patent should be read With this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oce.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of November, A. D. 1949.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Gommz'ssz'oner of Patents. 

